


Merci

by Circ_a



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post - Savoureux, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-11
Updated: 2013-07-11
Packaged: 2017-12-19 03:01:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/878644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Circ_a/pseuds/Circ_a
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em> Near the chew-toys, there is a stuffed animal that vaguely reminds Alana of Winston. </em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Merci

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Alana stops by to visit Will in jail. Since he can't see his dogs, she brings him a stuffed animal that looks like Winston to keep him company. It's just supposed to be a silly joke, she's trying to cheer him up a little (well, as much as she can given the circumstances) and get him to smile. However, Will is extremely touched by the gesture to the point of tears, which in turn gets her crying too.

Alana sits back a little farther in the recliner. The aged smell of leather is a comfort to her -- perhaps to Winston as well. The shaggy dog lays spread across her lap; he's a bit too large to fit in the recliner itself, but he doesn't seem to care much.

 

A few weeks ago, when Alana had taken it upon herself to move Will's strays into her home, Winston never left her side. It's a nice feeling. Whether it is Winston, Julian, Sahar, Miriam, Austin, Summer, or Jobe; Alana was never left to herself. The constant companionship she was treated with was something of a remedy to her torn up emotional state.

 

She runs a few fingers over the fur across Winston's back and he sighs a contended sigh. Alana half-smiles and she lays her head back with a soft _thump_ against the chair.

 

 

+

 

 

It's a quarter after nine when she wakes up. Winston moved from her lap to lay his snout across one of her bare feet. She sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes with a yawn.

 

Alana stretches up in and looks over her shoulder at the soft sound of Miriam whimpering at the empty bowls of food and water. She wrinkles her face in frustration.

 

She could go to the twenty-four hour store a few streets down, or she could just wait till morning when she has to go grocery shopping anyway. She looks back to the watch around her wrist; it could wait till morning.

 

Miriam whimpers a bit louder as if she can read Alana’s mind.

 

She looks around her living room to see that most of the dogs are awake and staring at her. She sighs.

 

Will would never forgive her if she let his dogs go hungry for the night.

 

 

+

 

 

The store is mostly empty save the few cashiers left on duty and a couple of late-night shoppers.

 

Alana grunts as she lugs three bags of Beniful for both the smaller and bigger dogs from the lower shelf.

 

She hopes the dogs will eat this. She can only imagine the lengths Will went through to feed his stray’s the best. She wishes she would’ve asked Will what type of food they favored the best; but given the situation, that just wasn’t on her mind.

 

The memory of Will in the orange jumpsuit sitting before her with a broken, stoic mask sent a pang of guilt straight through her chest. She takes a deep breath and shakes away the thought.

 

She reels the cart around in the direction to the cashiers, and then something catches her eye.

 

Near the chew-toys, there is a stuffed animal that vaguely reminds Alana of Winston. She tilts her head to the side.

 

No, that could go wrong in more ways than one. If Alana gets the toy, and gives it to Will, it could either serve as a comfort to him while incarcerated, or it could cause a breakdown.

 

Alana has already been to see Will a few times since he had been taken into custody. Between Hannibal and herself, neither has gotten more than a few one-worded answers from Will. He’s quiet as he hides behind this make-shift mask Alana swears she can see right through.

 

There’s fear, like there always has been in those eyes. But Alana knows that there is something else, something that Hannibal and herself and especially Jack are missing. There is a twinge of hope that she holds onto, that perhaps whatever Will is hiding is the key to his innocence.

 

She stands there and worries her bottom lip with her teeth for a few minutes before she snatches up the stuffed animal and proceeds to checkout.

 

 

+

 

 

Alana takes a deep, stuttering breath and clutches at the toy in her hands.

 

Will’s cell isn’t more than a few yards away, but as she walks through the hall, heels clanking loudly against the silence, it feels like hours have passed before she stands right before Will.

 

And there he is, sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands clasped together. He’s staring at the wall, eyes moving around as if he’s counting the stones that align it.

 

Alana stands there, not bothering to sit the chair right next to her. There is a distinct, clean but exquisite aroma from it. Hannibal must’ve been here recently.

 

She clears her throat when Will doesn’t acknowledge her for a good five minutes; he turns his head, eyes flickering to the stuffed animal before going back to the skin between her eyes.

 

She tries to smile, but can’t bring herself to make it a real one. “Hello, Will.”

 

Will turns his gaze back to the wall and nods his head. “Alana.”

 

This is a bad idea and she wishes she would’ve just picked up the dog food and left so she could come here with a clear mind to talk to Will. She straightens her posture and steps closer to the bars separating them.

 

“I brought you this,” She slips the toy between two of the bars and holds it in the air.

 

Will doesn’t move at first, but he does eye the toy again and furrows his brows. Alana raises her brows and shakes the toy, heeding Will to take it.

He finally gets to his feet and takes the toy. His eyes open a small fraction and he clutches the stuffed-animal a little tighter. His voice is a soft, broken sound. “T-this…It looks like --”

 

Alana half-smiles at his reaction. “Winston.”

 

Will looks back at her with eyes glossed over and his mouth slightly parted; he doesn’t speak.

 

“I went to pick up some food for the dogs and I saw this little gem, I figured it might bring you some--”

 

Alana stops abruptly when she see’s a few tears spill over Will’s cheeks down to his stubbly jaw.

 

She sucks in a breath, trying to figure out her next course of action if either Will lashes out or simply draws back into himself. Though, he sniffles and rubs at his eyes with his free hand. He looks directly into her eyes and says, “Thank you.”

 

Alana can feel that lump in her throat and the watering of her own eyes. For the first time in weeks, she sees a fragment of her old Will. She knows that the rest of him is burrowed deep behind this bland exterior, but the fact that it is confirmed, that her Will Graham is still here has tears falling down her face.

 

It’s hard to talk over that lump, but she comes closer and slides a hand through the bars and cups Will’s cheek.

 

She knows that if words are spoken, it would ruin this moment. So they both stand there, Alana rubbing her thumb back and forth over Will’s cheek, and Will with his eyes close and his cheek pressing into the palm of Alana’s hand.  
  
“No touching!” a guard barks from the doors.

 

Alana jumps back; startled. She looks over a shoulder to see the guard shaking his head with his arms crossed. She nods and turns back to face Will. By then, he’s already got his masked fixated back into place. He’s sitting back on the edge of his bed and the stuffed toy is on the ground next to his feet.

 

There are so many things she wants to say.

 

She wants to tell him that she will get him out of here and home. She wants to tell him that she knows what he’s hiding -- perhaps not exactly what it is -- but she knows that he _is_ hiding something.

 

Instead, she wipes the wetness from her eyes and bids Will goodbye and walks out of the facility with the weight on her shoulders just a bit lighter. 


End file.
